The Development Control Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, on Tuesday demolished a property allegedly belonging to the wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience.
The FCT stated that the building, which was
located along the Mabushi-Life Camp Expressway, was pulled down because it had
no official approval.
The Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister,
Cosmas Uzodinmma, informed Latest Reality Metro that the Development
Control Department only demolished buildings that distorted the Abuja master
plan.
He noted that the necessary laid down guidelines
must have been breached by the developers hence the demolition of the structure
by the FCT Administration.
“If people did not follow the laid down
guidelines that is when the development control unit act to correct anomalies.
Whenever you see development control put down a building, they must have done
so to correct the distortion of the master plan,” he stated.
When asked to respond to claims that the building
was the subject of a suit, Uzodimma, said he could not comment on the legal
issues surrounding the property.
The lawyer to the property owner, Emmanuel Anene,
had told the News Agency of Nigeria that the issue of the building was
still pending before the Federal High Courts in Lagos and Abuja.
He said, “Sometime ago, people from the
Development Control came to the site, alleging that there was no approval for
the building. We met them at their office and showed them the approval, which
they accepted. We thought that the matter was over.
“They had earlier gone to court with application
for forfeiture of the property to the government which they failed to achieve
at the Lagos High Court.”
“So, we were surprised that a team came in this
afternoon without notifying us to remove the structure.
“Also, we were not served with any notice for
demolition, they just came in now and started the demolition of the
structure,’’ he added.
But the Director of Development Control, Mr.
Muktar Usman, insisted that the building had no approval, adding that notice
was served for the demolition of the property.
He said the building was not the only one
affected by the demolition in the area as there were others that were also
demolished.
Muktar alleged that the Development Control
Department officials were assaulted during the demolition.
When contacted on the telephone, one of Mrs.
Jonathan’s lawyers, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), said he had heard about the
demolition but had not received full detail.
He, however, described the action of the FCTA as
evil, adding that it was not different from the self-help tactics of the Fulani
herdsmen.
Adedipe said, “This is where we find ourselves in
Nigeria today; where government agencies resort to self-help like herdsmen
without recourse to the court of law. It is unfortunate.”
When asked if Mrs. Jonathan would be taking legal
action, Adedipe said a decision would be reached later.
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